You may or may not have heard of 'cloud computing' or even 'living in the cloud'. If you have hear of it but are not sure what it means for you, read on. If you haven't heard of it but are curious, read on.

As you can see from the links above, cloud computing really refers to using a browser and an Internet connection to access applications and services which are not installed on your computer.

They are hosted and provided, usually for free (free in money terms), by a company which lets you access the software on their computers.

Examples of these online services are e-mail services such as Gmail and Hotmail, photo gallery services such as Picasa and Flickr and photo editing services such as Picnik.

There are also other services such as Google Docs, which allow you to create, edit and share word documents and spreadsheets and Delicious, which allows you to keep a back up of your bookmarks so you can access them anywhere.

 

Some of the advantages of cloud computing are:

  • You can access your data anywhere you can access a computer and the Internet.
  • You don't have to have a powerful computer.
  • You can create, access and share documents and photos from anywhere in the world.
  • You have your e-mail, photos and documents backed up and stored on computers which are protected by major corporations.
  • You don't have to worry about losing your information because of a hard drive failure at home - your information is not at home.
  • If you are 'on the road' a lot, you don't have to carry your information around with you all the time and you can share it with other people.

There are even services which provide you with a virtual desktop which you log into through your browser. It then appears to you as if you are using a desktop on your own computer.

For a great many people, living in the cloud is a highly practical and possible way of computing and the examples we have provided above are only some of the things possible. You can even create music online!

If you are interested in learning how to use these service to your advantage, Techfriend is more than able to show you how. In fact, if you install Yuuguu (see here for our discussion of this service) we can show you how to access these services without even visiting your home - Internet-based software help and training for Internet-based services!

 

Now, before you get too excited, there are some limitations to cloud computing:

No Internet connection - no services.

If you do not have a copy of your documents on your machine, you cannot access them until you have Internet access.

You need a reasonable access speed to avoid frustration. This definitely means that dial-up is a no-no.

You have to upload photographs to the online services before you can share and edit them.

If you have a very small data or bandwidth allowance, you can only upload a small number of photos during any given period.

If you cannot remember your passwords and have not back up e-mail address (for receiving your password hints or new access information) then you not be able to access your data or information.


 

Again, Techfriend can help you work out whether these services are useful to you and, if they are, which are best placed to provide the maximum benefit to you.